During his visit to China, the Minister of Municipalities and Housing inaugurated the Saudi-Chinese Contractors Forum, strengthening partnerships in housing and urban technologies.

Monday 28 September 2026

Share this page

aaa

His Excellency the Minister of Municipalities and Housing, Mr. Majid bin Abdullah Al-Hogail, inaugurated today in Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China, the “Saudi-Chinese Contractors Forum,” as part of an official visit he is undertaking to China from June 13 to 16, which aims to strengthen strategic partnerships in the housing, construction, infrastructure and smart technologies sectors, and to open new horizons for cooperation and investment between the two countries.

His Excellency the Minister affirmed that the forum reflects the development of Saudi-Chinese relations and their transition to more advanced levels of partnership and integration, noting that the Kingdom is moving at an accelerated pace towards developing the construction and housing sector by attracting global expertise, localizing modern technologies, enhancing local content, and building national capabilities.

The forum witnessed a wide attendance from government agencies and leading companies from both the Saudi and Chinese sides, where participants discussed opportunities for cooperation and investment in the construction sector, exchanged experiences in the fields of modern construction, sustainability and advanced technologies, and support for sustainable urban development.

The forum comes as an extension of a growing path of economic and investment cooperation between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the People’s Republic of China, in light of the strong strategic relations that bind the two countries, and the continuous expansion they are witnessing in the fields of infrastructure, technology, industry, supply chains and urban development.

The forum also witnessed the signing of six memoranda of understanding between Saudi and Chinese entities and companies, aimed at strengthening cooperation in investment, localizing modern construction technologies, transferring knowledge and expertise, developing human capital, and supporting public-private partnerships. The agreements covered cooperation in sustainable construction, advanced technological solutions, supply chain development, and creating joint investment opportunities, contributing to the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 and enhancing economic integration between the two countries.

The signed memoranda represent a practical step towards localizing value chains in the Saudi construction sector, covering engineering, construction and supply fields, modern building technologies, robotics and smart technologies, and building materials and metals supply chains, which supports the shift towards industrial construction, raises implementation efficiency, enhances productivity, and reduces costs and project duration.

The memorandum of understanding signed between NHC and the Chinese company Sinoma reflects a trend towards attracting global companies with advanced execution and financing capabilities to participate in developing large-scale residential projects within the Kingdom, supporting the objectives of increasing the housing supply and accelerating the pace of urban development. Other memoranda of understanding focus on transferring advanced technologies, localizing industries related to the construction sector, developing national expertise, and enhancing local content.

During the forum, participants discussed opportunities for cooperation in the fields of modern construction, prefabrication, smart cities, sustainability, artificial intelligence applications, and digital technologies in managing urban projects, in line with the rapid transformations taking place in the sector globally.

During the forum, the Ministry of Municipalities and Housing reviewed its experience in digital transformation and the adoption of smart technologies in developing government services, in addition to its partnerships with a number of leading global technology companies, including Huawei and ByteDance, within the Ministry’s direction towards building a more efficient work system based on data, artificial intelligence and advanced digital solutions, which enhances the quality of services, raises the efficiency of institutional performance and keeps pace with the goals of the digital government.

On the sidelines of the forum, bilateral meetings were held between Saudi and Chinese companies to discuss trade and investment cooperation opportunities. It was agreed to immediately begin activating the outputs of the agreement and the signed memoranda through a series of coordination meetings in Hong Kong starting tomorrow, in addition to organizing reciprocal visits between entities and companies from both sides to develop joint projects and accelerate the implementation of agreed initiatives.

Chinese companies and institutions were also invited to participate in the Future Projects Forum in Riyadh, as a global platform that brings together investors, developers and leaders in the construction and infrastructure sector, allowing for the exploration of new opportunities for cooperation and investment and strengthening the long-term Saudi-Chinese economic partnership.

The visit is scheduled to continue with meetings in the coming days with a number of Chinese companies and institutions specializing in smart city technologies, artificial intelligence and advanced building solutions, in addition to field visits to learn about leading Chinese experiences in the fields of urban transformation and modern urban technologies, which will contribute to enhancing the benefit from the best global practices and employing them in the development projects that the Kingdom is witnessing.

The forum and the resulting agreements and memoranda of understanding confirm that the Saudi-Chinese partnership has moved from the stage of exchanging experiences to the stage of building capabilities, joint manufacturing, technology transfer and knowledge localization, which enhances the Kingdom’s position as a regional center for the modern construction sector, and supports its objectives in housing, smart cities and sustainable urban development.

The forum is one of the initiatives supporting the goals of Saudi Vision 2030 in increasing the housing supply and raising the quality of life, as the Kingdom moves towards implementing more than 100,000 housing units in partnership with Chinese companies by 2030, in a model that reflects the development of Saudi-Chinese relations from traditional trade cooperation to an integrated development and technology partnership that supports sustainable growth in both countries.

It is worth noting that the visit of His Excellency the Minister of Municipalities and Housing to China includes a series of meetings with government agencies and international companies specializing in urban development, housing, smart city technologies and digital transformation, in addition to discussing opportunities for technology transfer and localization of industries related to the construction sector, and following up on a number of joint partnerships and initiatives that contribute to achieving the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

 Comments and suggestions

Comments and suggestions

For any inquiries or comments about government services, please fill out the required information.

Last Updated:

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia